Hay spreading apparatus

ABSTRACT

A hay spreading apparatus is particularly adaptable for spreading round bales of hay and includes a freely-rotating roller drum mounted on a fixed or adjustable boom connected to the front or rear end of a tractor, to facilitate pushing a bale of hay and spreading the hay over a selected area of ground. In a first preferred embodiment a fixed boom includes a fixed boom frame rotatably mounting a drum spindle extending through the center of a roller drum. The fixed boom also typically includes a pair of fixed boom connectors extending from the fixed boom frame to the tractor frame to suspend the roller drum above the ground. In another preferred embodiment of the invention an adjustable boom typically includes a pair of parallel boom connectors pivotally attached to the tractor frame and to an adjustable boom frame rotatably carrying a roller drum by means of a drum spindle. A hydraulic cylinder and piston are pivotally secured to the tractor frame and the adjustable boom frame, respectively, for adjusting the adjustable boom frame and the roller drum with respect to the ground. In both the fixed and the adjustable boom embodiments the tractor is maneuvered to position the roller drum against a hay bale and the tractor is operated to contact the roller drum with the bale and facilitate rotation of the roller drum against the hay bale and unrolling of the respective layers of hay or breaking up the bale as the bale is pushed along the ground.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of and incorporates byreference U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/453,187, filed Mar.11, 2003.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to the breaking up of hay bales andspreading hay over a selected area of ground to facilitate better accessto the hay by cattle. More particularly, the invention includes a hayspreading apparatus for breaking up and spreading both square and roundbales of hay, but particularly adapted for spreading round bales of hay,wherein a freely-rotating roller drum is journalled for rotation on aframe that is fixed or adjustably attached to the front or rear end of avehicle such as a tractor, for contacting the hay bale and breaking thebale into clumps or rolling the hay out in layers on the ground over aselected area. In a first preferred embodiment of the invention theroller drum includes a drum spindle extending through the center thereofand journalled for rotation in a frame fixed to a boom that is welded,bolted or otherwise fixed to the front end of a tractor frame, such thatthe roller drum is suspended above the ground. In a second preferredembodiment of the invention the rotating drum is rotatably attached to aframe that is pivotally connected to an adjustable boom which ispivotally attached to the front of the tractor frame or to theconventional three-point connection on the rear end of the tractor, andmay be adjusted either horizontally or vertically by means of ahydraulic cylinder to suspend the rotatable roller drum, typically aboutsix to eight inches above the ground.

[0003] In both cases the tractor is maneuvered to contact the hay balewith the roller drum and in the case of a round hay bale, to preferablycontact the hay bale when the bale is positioned such that the haylayers are wound or rolled toward the tractor. Operation of the tractorthen forces the roller drum against the outer layer of the hay bale andcauses the hay bale to unroll or break up on the ground with rotation ofthe roller drum, to spread the resulting hay in layers or clumps over aselected area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] The invention will be better understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

[0005]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred fixed roller drumembodiment of the hay spreading apparatus of this invention;

[0006]FIG. 2 is a side view of the fixed roller drum hay spreadingapparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 in functional position, illustratingunwinding or unrolling of the layers of a round hay bale responsive toforward movement of the tractor and free rotation of the roller drum;

[0007]FIG. 3 is a side view of the fixed roller drum embodiment of thehay spreading apparatus of this invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2,more particularly illustrating spreading of the hay in the round haybale; and

[0008]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an adjustable roller drum hayspreading apparatus embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Referring initially to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings a firstpreferred embodiment of the hay spreading apparatus of this invention isgenerally illustrated by reference numeral 1 and includes a roller 2,characterized by a cylindrical roller drum 3, closed by drum ends 4. Theroller drum 3 typically has drum rims 5, respectively, on each end andaccommodates a drum spindle 6, typically fixedly extending through thecenters of the drum ends 4, as illustrated. The drum spindle 6 isrotatably journalled in a pair of spaced-apart spindle mount brackets 7,typically by means of a bushing or bearing (not illustrated), asdesired. A fixed boom 27 extends from the tractor frame 21 of a tractor23, having front wheels 24 and rear wheels 25 (illustrated in phantom).The fixed boom 27 typically includes a pair of parallel boom connectors13, one end of each of which is fixedly attached by means of welding,bolting or other technique, to the tractor frame 21 and the oppositeends of the parallel boom connectors 13 extending respectively, to fixedattachment by welding, bolting or the like, to the top frame member 10of a fixed boom frame 28, as further illustrated in FIG. 1 of thedrawings. The fixed boom frame 28 is further characterized by a pair ofspaced-apart, parallel side frame members 12, extending downwardly fromfixed attachment to the top frame member 10 to fixed connection to abottom frame member 11. Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment of theinvention the top frame member 10, bottom frame member 11 and side framemembers 12 define a rectangle and the pair of spindle mount brackets 7that support the drum spindle 6 for rotation, extend from welded, boltedor other connection to the respective side frame members 12 of the fixedboom frame 28, to accommodate and support the roller drum 3 of theroller 2. It will be appreciated from a consideration of FIGS. 1-3 thatthe roller drum 3 is freely rotatable with the drum spindle 6 (or a pairof drum spindles 6, welded to the drum ends 5) and is typicallysuspended about six to eight inches above the ground, as illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

[0010] Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings the tractor 23is operated to position the roller drum 3 of the roller 2 adjacent tothe outer one of the hay layers 32 of a wound, round hay bale 31, anddistribute the hay 30 in the hay bale 31 over a selected area andprovide better access to the hay 30 by cattle. This goal is achieved byoperating the tractor 23 forwardly in the direction illustrated by thearrow in FIG. 3 to unroll the respective wound or layered hay layers 32or break up the hay bale 31 and distribute the hay 30 on the ground, asillustrated. During this procedure the roller drum 3 of the roller 2typically freely rotates in the clockwise direction due to the force ofpushing against the hay bale 31, while the hay bale 31 generally rotatesin the opposite or counterclockwise direction, to effectively unroll orbreak up the respective hay layers 32. Alternatively, it will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the hay bale 31 may bearranged with the hay layers 32 wound in any direction with respect tothe roller drum 3 of the roller 2 of the hay spreading apparatus 1 andcontact between the roller 2 and the hay bale 31 will distribute the hay30 in the hay roll 31 in clumps or layers over the desired area,regardless of the direction of wrap of the hay layers 32 in the hay bale31.

[0011] Referring now to FIG. 4 of the drawings in another preferredembodiment of the invention the roller drum 3 of the roller 2 isadjustably mounted with respect to the front end of the tractor frame 21by means of an adjustable boom 8, which typically includes a pair ofspaced-apart boom connectors 13, one end of each of which is pivotallyattached to the tractor frame 21, typically by means of respective boompins 16. The opposite ends of the boom connectors 13 are pivotallyattached to the top frame member 10 of an adjustable boom frame 9,typically by a pair of frame connecting pins 14, extending throughcorresponding frame connecting brackets 15. Furthermore, a hydrauliccylinder 17 has a cylinder end pivotally connected to the tractor frame21 beneath the boom connectors 13 in any convenient manner, while thecylinder piston 18 of the hydraulic cylinder 17 extends outwardly of thehydraulic cylinder 17 and is pivotally connected to the bottom framemember 11 of the adjustable boom frame 9, typically by means of a pistonconnecting pin 19, extending through a clevis bracket 20. This pivotalmounting of the hydraulic cylinder 17 to the tractor frame 21 and thecylinder piston 18 to the adjustable boom frame 9 facilitates raisingand lowering of the roller 2 with the adjustable boom frame 9, tofacilitate positioning the roller drum 3 a desired distance above theground for breaking up the hay bale 31, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3of the drawings with respect to the fixed boom embodiment of the hayspreading apparatus 1. Alternatively, the adjustable boom frame 9 can bepivotally connected to the conventional boom connectors and hydrauliccylinder piston of a three-point connection apparatus (not illustrated)provided on the rear end of many tractors. Accordingly, the hayspreading apparatus 1 may be equipped as illustrated in FIG. 4 with theadjustable boom 8, which is operated using the hydraulic cylinder 17 andappropriate hydraulic motors, hoses and controls (not illustrated),according to the knowledge of those skilled in the art, to position theadjustable boom frame 9 and the roller drum 3 of the roller 2 a selecteddistance above the ground and the roller drum 3 in position in closeproximity to the hay bale 31, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The tractor 23is then operated in the same manner as described above with respect toFIG. 3 to unroll or break up the hay roll 31 and distribute the hay 30,typically in hay layers 32, in a desired distribution along the groundfor optimum access by cattle. The orientation of the tractor 23 may bereversed under circumstances where the conventional three-point tractorattachment is used to support the adjustable boom frame 9. Tractors soequipped sometimes use a front-end loader to load, unload and positionthe hay bales 31.

[0012] Referring again to the drawings, it will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that the hay spreading apparatus of this invention,in both the fixed boom and adjustable boom embodiments, is capable ofdistributing or dispensing the hay 30 by collapsing and breaking up haybales such as the round hay bale 31 of various size and type, includingsquare hay bales, using the freely-rotating roller 2 mounted on thefront or rear of the tractor 23, as described above. For example, undercircumstances where a square bale of hay (not illustrated) is to bebroken up, the roller 2 can be used to break apart the square bale ofhay quickly and easily by contact with the roller drum 3. Furthermore,under circumstances where a hay bale 31 is positioned such that therespective hay layers 32 are wound away from the tractor 23 instead ofin the opposite direction, the roller 2 is capable of distributing hayover the desired area of ground by simply contacting the roller drum 3with the hay roll 31 and pushing the hay roll 31 ahead of the roller 2to break the hay layers 32 into clumps of various size.

[0013] It will be further appreciated by those skilled in the art thatthe fixed boom 27 and the adjustable boom 8 can be mounted on vehiclesother than the tractor 23, including all-terrain vehicles of varioussize and design and trucks, in non-exclusive particular. Furthermore,one or more boom connectors 13 of the fixed boom 27 can be bolted orotherwise removably mounted to the tractor frame 21 of the tractor 23 orto an alternative vehicle to facilitate removable attachment, asdesired. Moreover, the respective boom pins 16 can be removed from thecorresponding tractor frame 21 to remove the adjustable boom 8, asdesired.

[0014] While the preferred embodiments of the invention have beendescribed above, it will be recognized and understood that variousmodifications may be made in the invention and the appended claims areintended to cover all such modifications which may fall within thespirit and scope of the invention.

Having described my invention with the particularity set forth above,what is claimed is:
 1. A hay spreading apparatus for mounting on avehicle and spreading hay, comprising a roller drum journalled forrotation on the vehicle and adapted for contacting and spreading the hayresponsive to operation of the vehicle.
 2. The hay spreading apparatusof claim 1 comprising a fixed boom carried by the vehicle in fixedrelationship and wherein said roller drum is journalled for rotation onsaid fixed boom.
 3. The hay spreading apparatus of claim 2 wherein saidfixed boom comprises a pair of fixed boom connectors having one endcarried by the vehicle in said fixed relationship and the opposite endof said fixed boom connectors carrying said roller drum for rotation. 4.The hay spreading apparatus of claim 3 comprising a fixed boom frameprovided on said opposite end of said fixed boom connectors, a pair ofbrackets provided on said fixed boom frame and a spindle extendinglongitudinally through said roller drum, said spindle journalled forrotation in said brackets to facilitate free rotation of said rollerdrum with said spindle on said brackets.
 5. The hay spreading apparatusof claim 1 comprising an adjustable boom carried by the vehicle inadjustable relationship and wherein said roller drum is journalled forrotation on said adjustable boom.
 6. The hay spreading apparatus ofclaim 5 wherein said adjustable boom comprises a pair of adjustable boomconnectors having one end pivotally carried by the vehicle inspaced-apart relationship with respect to each other and the oppositeend of said adjustable boom connectors pivotally carrying said rollerdrum for rotation.
 7. The hay spreading apparatus of claim 6 comprisingan adjustable boom frame provided on said opposite ends of saidadjustable boom connectors, a pair of brackets provided on saidadjustable boom frame and a spindle extending longitudinally throughsaid roller drum, said spindle journalled for rotation in said bracketsto facilitate free rotation of said roller drum with said spindle onsaid brackets.
 8. A hay spreading apparatus for mounting on a tractorand spreading hay from a hay bale, comprising at least one fixed boomconnector having one end fixed to the tractor; a fixed boom frame fixedto the opposite end of said fixed boom connector; and a roller drumjournalled for rotation on said fixed boom frame for contacting the haybale and spreading the hay responsive to operation of the tractor. 9.The hay spreading apparatus of claim 8 comprising a pair of bracketsprovided on said fixed boom frame and a spindle extending longitudinallythrough said roller drum, said spindle journalled for rotation in saidbrackets to facilitate free rotation of said roller drum on saidbrackets.
 10. The hay spreading apparatus of claim 8 wherein said atleast one fixed boom connector comprises a pair of fixed boom connectorsfixed to the tractor and said fixed boom frame in spaced-apartrelationship with respect to each other.
 11. The hay spreading apparatusof claim 10 comprising a pair of brackets provided on said fixed boomframe and a spindle extending longitudinally through said roller drum,said spindle journalled for rotation in said brackets to facilitate freerotation of said roller drum on said brackets.
 12. A hay spreadingapparatus for mounting on a tractor and spreading hay from a hay bale,comprising at least one adjustable boom connector having one endpivotally connected to the tractor; an adjustable boom frame pivotallycarried by the opposite end of said adjustable boom connector; afluid-operated cylinder pivotally attached to the tractor and a pistonextending from said cylinder, said piston pivotally connected to saidadjustable boom frame; and a roller drum journalled for rotation in saidadjustable boom frame for contacting the hay bale and spreading the hayresponsive to operation of the tractor.
 13. The hay spreading apparatusof claim 12 wherein said fluid-operated cylinder comprises a hydrauliccylinder.
 14. The hay spreading apparatus of claim 12 comprising a pairof brackets provided on opposite ends of said adjustable boom frame anda spindle extending longitudinally through said roller drum, saidspindle journalled for rotation in said brackets to facilitate freerotation of said roller drum on said brackets.
 15. The hay spreadingapparatus of claim 12 wherein said fluid-operated cylinder comprises ahydraulic cylinder and comprising a pair of brackets provided onopposite ends of said adjustable boom frame and a spindle extendinglongitudinally through said roller drum, said spindle journalled forrotation in said brackets to facilitate free rotation of said roller onsaid brackets.
 16. The hay spreading apparatus of claim 12 wherein saidat least one adjustable boom connector comprises a pair of adjustableboom connectors pivotally attached to the tractor and said adjustableboom frame in spaced-apart relationship with respect to each other. 17.The hay spreading apparatus of claim 16 comprising a pair of bracketsprovided on opposite ends of said adjustable boom frame and a spindleextending longitudinally through said roller drum, said spindlejournalled for rotation in said brackets to facilitate free rotation ofsaid roller drum on said brackets.
 18. The hay spreading apparatus ofclaim 17 wherein said fluid-operating cylinder comprises a hydrauliccylinder.
 19. A hay spreading apparatus for mounting on a tractor andspreading hay from a hay bale, comprising a pair of adjustable boomconnectors having one end pivotally connected to the tractor; anadjustable boom frame pivotally carried by the opposite end of saidadjustable boom connectors, respectively; a pair of brackets provided onopposite ends of said adjustable boom connectors; a fluid-operatedcylinder pivotally attached to the tractor beneath said adjustable boomconnectors and a piston extending from said cylinder, said pistonpivotally connected to said adjustable boom; and a roller drumjournalled for rotation in said brackets for contacting the hay bale andspreading the hay responsive to operation of the tractor.
 20. The hayspreading apparatus of claim 19 wherein said fluid-operated cylindercomprises a hydraulic cylinder and said adjustable boom connection andsaid hydraulic cylinder comprise a three-point attachment provided onthe tractor.